With the development of wireless technologies, there is ongoing research to support a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) in digital devices such as laptop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), an the like. For example, a WLAN communication method of digital devices are under research in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA), Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), and WFA Wi-Fi Direct standard. Conventional WLAN communication methods may be classified in an infra structure mode and an ad-hoc mode. The infra structure mode generally refers to a digital device that operates as a STAtion (STA) that is connected to a digital device that operates as an Access Point (AP). The ad-hoc mode generally refers to a plurality of digital devices that operate as STAs that are directly connected.
The IEEE 802.11 standard supports both the infra structure mode and the ad-hoc mode. In the infra structure mode and the ad-hoc mode of the IEEE 802.11 standard, when one digital device determines a Service Set IDentifier (SSID), a security key, and an Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation rule, a peer digital device may then search for the SSID, input the security key, and thereafter configure the IP address according to the determined IP address allocation rule. In doing so, a WLAN connection is established between the digital devices.
The WFA WPS standard supports the infra structure mode, while the WFA Wi-Fi Direct standard supports the ad-hoc mode. In the infra structure mode of the WFA WPS standard and the ad-hoc mode of the WFA Wi-Fi Direct standard, when a Push Button Configuration (PBC) button is pressed or when a Personal Identification Number (PIN) is generated in one particular digital device, the PIN is input by a peer digital device to establish a WLAN connection.
In the conventional WLAN connection method described above, in order to establish a WLAN connection in a digital device, a user must directly configure and input information necessary for the WLAN connection, such as an SSID, a security key, an IP address, a PIN, and the like. However, since preliminary information on the WLAN is often required procedure for directly configuring and inputting information necessary for the WLAN connection, the method cannot be easily used by general users.